8 signs Pakistan is slipping further into an education crisis
A recent report by Alif Ailaan and SDPI reiterates the state of Pakistan's education crisis
A recent report by Alif Ailaan and SDPI shines a stark light on Pakistan's failing education system. The report titled "Pakistan District Rankings 2016" finds that Pakistan was unable to meet the Millennium Development Goals targets for universal primary school access.
The report further reiterates that education is nominally a provincial matter under the Constitution, and the private sector has an unmeasured but enormous impact on the education sector as a whole. Yet, both constitutionally and morally, education continues to be the government’s responsibility, starting from the Prime Minister of Pakistan down to the primary school teacher in a village in Awaran.
The document aims to call attention to the evidence of a deep and persistent national crisis; below are some of the highlights.
1. 41% of students drop out of primary school
2. More than half of Pakistan's women have never attended school
3. 35% of schools don't have toilets
The national infrastructure score has overall seen a decline, with only 52% of schools in the country having basic facilities.
4. Sindh and Balochistan's educational performance is consistently poor
The bottom half of the rankings has greater representation from Balochistan (29 out of the province’s 31 ranked districts), FATA (ten out of eleven ranked districts) and Sindh (18 out of 24 districts).
The top half of the rankings is dominated by districts from the Punjab (with 33 out of 36 districts), followed by AJK (all ten districts) and Gilgit-Baltistan (six out of seven ranked districts).
5. 76% of 5th graders in Sindh cannot read English
The reading material was meant for 2nd graders
6. Many schools only have one teacher
In Pakistan, nearly a third of primary schools are single-teacher schools
7. On average, students attend only four years of schooling in Balochistan
8. Balochistan has the lowest education score in Pakistan
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Comments (40) Closed
May 25, 2016 03:36pm
50% of population that is women without education! Means in 21st century, all efforts to get out of Neolithic cave is doomed.
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May 25, 2016 03:36pm
No comment
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May 25, 2016 03:42pm
Every graduate must teach for 2 years after graduation and government should pay them. During their graduation they must spend 20% time in understanding how to educate and depending upon their aptitude can be offered posts in Primary/ middle or high school. If American and Germans have to spend 2 years of compulsory military training why can we not pass the law which not only employs hundreds of thousands, give us quality teachers.
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May 25, 2016 03:55pm
Nations earn respect through education and intellect, not with the nuclear bomb.
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May 25, 2016 04:14pm
But hey, we have nuclear weapons!
Joy and glory, and a PM who spends more on his medical checkup trips, than on educating 1000 poor kids for a whole year.
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May 25, 2016 04:20pm
Where is this nation going?
What are ours national goals?
Where do we spend?
We are far behind the other nations.
We must have to educate our people otherwise our situations in all spheres of life will deteriorate further.
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May 25, 2016 04:23pm
State do not seem sincere to this chapter. The education at primary level particularity in public schools are somewhat satisfactory in cities but in rural / remote areas of the four provinces including federal capital expose dismal picture. The reason of this is that the tribal lords still powerful and influenced in their area where from they get select them resulted to reach in the assemblies where they also decided people fate. They are not in favour that the children of poor people can get quality education in the public schools due to this public schools have wore deserted look. It is its proof that the people is showing their status by telling that there children are studying in the very costly private school. Other thing is that NGOs are working as much as student can be registered in the public or private schools but of no avail. First we have to agree parents by delivering lectures to them through our motivated and well groomed teams. The parents may be reprimanded by saying if they do not get register their children in the school strict action to be taken against them, might be this message change their mind but first we have to clear our country from fudel lords other wise we are unable to get desired result in this regard and this situation shall remain same.
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May 25, 2016 04:29pm
Sindh not last just because of Khi. Can people please stop voting for PPP. After 30 yrs of Sindh rule people are still uneducated.
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May 25, 2016 04:33pm
Almost all of Pakistan's problems could be solved if the entire population received a basic education up to the age of 16-18. A real education that includes maths, science and English. these are the tools needed to achieve real progress in the 21st century.
An uneducated population is more susceptible to those unscrupulous individuals who seek to harm Pakistan
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May 25, 2016 05:03pm
Please watch this to get a better view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3FiS2qseeA
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May 25, 2016 05:12pm
That's why we are cautioned about what we wish for, as kids.
ZA Bhutto's self-fulfilling prophecy "we shall eat grass, but will acquire Nuclear Bomb" has been realized at such high cost.
Somehow, I pine for Pakistan of the 60s and 70s, when it was peaceful, progressive, educational system was excellent, respected around the world, and society was markedly better with little corruption.
What we have lost in generations of under-educated, uneducated masses can never be
fixed, no matter how many nukes we acquire.
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May 25, 2016 05:13pm
With Pakistani population projected to reach 400 million by 2050, it can only get worse!
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May 25, 2016 05:39pm
Signs are to predict and not some thing which is reality. Pakistan's primary & secondary education system is disastrous. Already proven.
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May 25, 2016 05:53pm
Single most important issue for our nation. We should have a one point agenda on education. If The Citizens Foundation can build 1000 schools and make a big impact what is stopping the government?
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May 25, 2016 06:22pm
A constitutional amendment that compels all government education employees to enroll their children in government schools is the only way to elevate the status of public education system. Ministers and secretaries of education come and go and have limited control on what happens in schools at the tehsil level. Unless the education sector employees themselves are given the dose of their own medicine, this disease will remain.
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May 25, 2016 06:27pm
How many Schools have been built in Pakistan by the much touted Malala Foundation, after she was able to raise millions around the world?? All the fanfare and Noble Prize has not resulted in any benefits to the kids that matter.
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May 25, 2016 06:34pm
NS is not interested in education .
What a shame. NS government wants mega projects so they can get kickbacks
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May 25, 2016 06:36pm
This reminds me of very old Hindi movie, 'Anpadh' (1962) - Starring Balarj Sahani, Dhamendra, Mala Sinha. It was to address the social issue of not giving importance to education.
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May 25, 2016 06:37pm
Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy start a national movement for better education?
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May 25, 2016 06:47pm
This is one reason they turn to violence
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May 25, 2016 07:14pm
@Mahmood
Why Malala foundation? What is the government of Pakistan doing?
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May 25, 2016 07:24pm
The article has highlighted a problem and almost all comments reiterate. Enough,Solutions please.
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May 25, 2016 07:26pm
Simply Terrible; Not Acceptable
Make education FREE for all till 10 grade, Matric.
Here is another suggestion outsorce the education sector to a private reputable education organiation with proven results.
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May 25, 2016 07:35pm
Our army consumes 80 percent if our GNP so what else to expect ?
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May 25, 2016 07:49pm
How can we try to compete with India in progress then.
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May 25, 2016 07:50pm
@Muhammad shafique It's barely 3% of the GNP.
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May 25, 2016 08:00pm
@Mansoor Very nice & practical suggestion on this crucial subject, It can be done easily by common man in Pakistan. Please circulate this message to every single person in Pakistan. These days all educated Pakistan citizen needs an educated & 100% literate Pakistan who can contribute something better.
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May 25, 2016 08:06pm
@Safwan "Muhammad shafique It's barely 3% of the GNP."
Actually army budget is 3.5% of the GDP but considering that Pakistan tax is only 8.9%of GDP, it is almost 40% of the tax raised. Coupled with burden of paying loan which is another 40% and supporting bureaucracy (salaries etc.) - very little is left over for education and health.
In Pakistan education budget is 1.8% of GDP and security budget at 3.5% is nearly double that. In India whom you love to compete with in terms of security, the numbers are reversed: security budget is 1.9% and education budget is 4.1%.
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May 25, 2016 08:08pm
@Zulfikr Ali Khan(ZAK) Please never think for competing, imagine about a better Pakistan, better country than rest of the world. It is only education that leads Pakistan into a better nation in entire world. How China is leading rest of the word, since they have 100% literacy rate & they are excelling in research & development in every sector. Each student in Pakistan can contribute in this subject, each trader in Pakistan can help on this subject, take help of all the Pakistanis living abroad.
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May 25, 2016 08:31pm
@Zulfikr Ali Khan(ZAK) India is also in bad shape, maybe not this bad.
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May 25, 2016 08:36pm
Who cares about the education when we have Metro Buses. I guess when you travel in those buses, you do not need education anymore.
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May 25, 2016 08:41pm
This is because the nation is being ruled by thieves for last 70 years. Now another phenomena is emerging: they want make make the nation secular instead of educating it.
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May 25, 2016 08:49pm
I don't think this is huge problem for Pakistan. Saudi, along with other gulf countries and usa consistently provides financial aid to Pakistan. India has to build everything to stay independent. that is the reason, we have stress more on education and technology building, which is not necessity for Pakistan........
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May 25, 2016 09:29pm
Shameful - utterly shameful.
Anyone who is not embarrassed reading this should have no right to high office
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May 25, 2016 09:41pm
@Mansoor Americans do NOT have compulsory military training.
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May 25, 2016 09:50pm
The statistics given here are no doubt hopeless, but the private sector huge involvement in education sector is not mentioned here. The private sector has an unmeasured but enormous impact on the education sector as a whole.
About 70% of students go to private schools in Karachi and that has not been included in the statistics provided above. Same situation in urban areas of the country.
The private sector makes up for the poor infra, lack of funds, other discrepancies by the government, as a matter of fact Pakistan has some of the finest private sector school system in the world.
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May 25, 2016 09:54pm
@Mansoor How do you know Americans have to do two year Military training? I live in America and am not aware of any such law. Please provide reference or do not spread mis information.
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May 25, 2016 09:57pm
What about the private sector contribution in the education sector. Its all run by private sector in Urban areas like Karachi and Lahore.
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May 25, 2016 10:04pm
I think our national attitude towards education would have to change. But more importantly, our national attitude towards democracy would have to change. We ALL (myself included) need to understand that there we are ALL in this together. And all need to participate to solve this together
We can criticise NS, government or the army all you want. But as I said, in the end we all have to come together to make this truly issue number one. 65% of Pakistan's population is under 35 years. And if 50% of that capacity is uneducated, unskilled, and therefore untapped.
Historically, Pakistan has spent ~2% on Human Resource Development. And this is the result of that short-term thinking.
IK had said that we need to declare "Education Emergency". In case of a declared National Emergency for the next 10 years, Pakistan could use its military, bureaucracy and available pool of graduate students (who education is subsidised) to teach. You can't build a great nation without educated populace.
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May 28, 2016 11:14pm
What did we get in last 69 years since independence?? Unfortunately neither federal nor provisional governments are sincere to provide quality education in Pakistan. It mean our leaders and policy makers intentionally making our nation illiterate. There is need of sincere leadership who will serve his five years tenure only for education and health, in this way perhaps we may be able to improve our education.
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